Page 3 of Howling Love (Hunter’s Moon Ritual #1)

Gracie

My stomach was coiled and tight with nerves as I walked down the hallway that once seemed short but now felt as though it was expanding.

My heartbeat was going double-time, and sweat formed on the back of my neck.

The walls felt like they were closing in on me, and while the house grew more luxurious the closer I got to the Alpha’s living quarters, everything seemed to grow darker, more bleak.

A cold chill ran across the floors as my fists tightened at my sides, the basic cotton dress I wore doing nothing to comfort me.

Why would Alpha Ivan want to talk to me?

When I reached the dark wood door of the private dining room, Colyn opened it, motioning me through.

My footsteps echoed loudly as I stepped onto the polished wood floors, the noise making me wince.

I kept my head down, as always, especially now that the shadows couldn’t hide me.

The scent of pot roast and the flickering of warm candles on the floor made the space feel decadent, luxurious.

None of that mattered, though, because I knew—or could sense—three sets of eyes staring at me, drilling into my downturned face.

“Three-one-four—Gracie Holloway.”

My head lifted of its own volition, shocked to hear my last name after a decade. The last time I’d heard it was when my parents introduced themselves to a vendor in the village market. June and Cal Holloway.

I didn’t have time to savor the memory. Now that I was looking directly at him, my wolf recoiled with fear in the presence of the Alpha. My knees nearly buckled, my breathing turning ragged. If he saw my fear, he didn’t react—nor did the other two men in the room.

“Is that right?” He arched his brow.

Alpha Ivan never struck the exact chord I would imagine, considering how he ran his compound.

I didn’t know how to describe it, but his polished appearance contrasted the state of the compound so much that it felt off to me.

I knew how predatory this man could be, but he was able to hide behind his natural charisma.

Even now, sitting across the room from me behind a polished wood table, he made quite the picture.

His silver-streaked black hair grazed the high collar of his embroidered coat, his glowing amber eyes staring directly into my soul as I tried to find my voice.

“Yes.” It was barely a whisper, but I knew he would hear it. The weight of their disdain pressed heavily against me, tainting the air. Not for anything I’d done, but for what I was. Always beneath them.

“Quiet, isn’t she?” Beta Clint commented, his cold eyes glancing over me with clinical interest. I almost never saw the man, but when I did, his “mate” was usually by his side, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

“More than I can say for others,” Enforcer Marek agreed.

“Submissive is good,” Ivan stated in an evaluative tone. “Doesn’t talk back. Appears clean. Young enough to still be able to have pups.”

Bile rose in my throat. Why were they talking about me like this? I mean, I knew why—but why now?

“You think she’s the one?” Clint asked.

The one for what?

I caught a perverse curiosity in Alpha Ivan’s expression, as if he was thoroughly enjoying my confusion. I knew he wouldn’t answer Clint—not yet.

He wanted me to stew in my fear a little longer.

“She’s attractive enough,” Marek agreed. “Has always shown loyalty, even when her mother died. She presents as fairly educated for coming to us at eleven.”

“Can she read?” Alpha Ivan asked, then directed the question to me. “Can you, girl?”

“Yes.” I managed to get out, a flash of anger filling my chest. It was unexpected, and I slammed it down before they could sense it.

My wolf hated how we were being discussed, but this wasn’t a situation I could survive unless I was silent.

Though this was very possibly the end…especially if I was given to someone.

“She’s a bit younger than expected,” Alpha Ivan said. “I’m not sure how the dragon bastard would feel about that.”

Dragons?

Within Thornfell, there were many different shifter types: dragons, wolves, bears, lions, foxes, and even prey shifters like rabbits. The hierarchy was based on shifting ability and strength, so most territories were run by dominant species like wolves or dragons.

That being said, I didn’t know what dragons could have to do with this.

I may not have had a lot of knowledge about the politics and territories of Thornfell since we were so isolated, but my understanding was that out of the seven other territories, only two were run by dragons—both of which were as far south and west as possible.

My knees began to tremble as I tried to breathe through my panic. I had no intention of interacting with dragons, especially when my wolf could barely rise in the presence of the wolf Alpha in front of me.

My eyes traced the patterns on the floor as they continued to discuss my state as if I were livestock. My hands tightened in my dress, equally terrified and furious. I could hear their words, but they were coded, never saying exactly what was going on.

My thoughts were broken when Alpha Ivan suddenly spoke directly to me, his voice smooth and relaxed. “Gracie, look at me.”

Slowly, I looked up and held his gaze. Despite his easygoing demeanor, I instantly saw him clock my fear, and amusement filtered through his expression.

“Sit. Join us for dinner.”

My eyes widened as I looked at the empty place setting in front of me, the round table made for four.

With shaky hands, knowing that I couldn’t disobey, I pulled back the chair and managed to ease myself into it as a plate was set in front of me.

I stared at the food before looking back at Alpha Ivan.

My pulse was thumping in my neck, and I could feel how sweaty my palms were as I waited on his next order—waited for some type of reasoning for my presence here.

The suspense was agonizing at this point.

“Eat.”

Slowly, feeling their eyes on me, I lifted the utensils and began to eat, bringing the food to my mouth. I was going to throw up. The first time I had real food in front of me in a decade, and I was going to throw all of it up.

“She even has decent table etiquette,” Clint commented. The tremble in my hands turned into a tremor, my fork shaking in my hand like a leaf in the breeze, so much so that I worried I would drop it.

“Could be better, but with some cleaning up, it could work,” Marek agreed.

The second bite had absolutely no flavor. My eyes stung with tears.

“There’s no reason to be worried,” Alpha Ivan stated easily. “You’re about to get a promotion.”

My fork clattered to the table. “A promotion?” I knew what that meant. Or at least I thought I knew what it meant.

“Yes. A promotion. As you know, the Harvest Moon Ritual will be happening soon.”

How could I forget that the monthly display of blood and carnage was less than a week away? The blood ritual was meant to curry favor with the gods, specifically Nyxarra, in hopes of restoring the land, but they never yielded any results. Unless you counted the deaths of multiple workers.

The worst part? We were forced to watch. Sometimes to partake.

And if he was calling this a promotion…well, I knew my time was up. It meant I had been selected as one of the sacrifices gathered from across the territory.

“Before that though, I have to travel out of the territory for the TTC.”

My brow furrowed. I recognized the abbreviation but couldn’t for the life of me remember what exactly it stood for.

“She won’t know what that is,” Clint said. “It’s the Thornfell Trade Conference.”

“I want you to come with me,” Alpha Ivan said.

“You want me to come with you to the Thornfell Trade Conference?”

“Like a parrot,” Marek mused.

“Yes.” Alpha Ivan nodded, seeming to find amusement at my surprise. “It will be counted toward what you owe to the Cold Moon Pack.”

How could I possibly owe them anything else? I’d already given so much of my life to them.

Also, why wasn’t one of his mates going with him? He already had two…

Unless…no. I wouldn’t consider that. There had been no rumor he was looking to take another. I would rather sell myself to another member of the Cold Moon Pack than be Alpha Ivan’s mate. Behind the civilized facade he was a master manipulator and a cruel master.

“Will that be a problem?”

“Of course not,” I whispered.

“Good. It’s settled. You may return to your quarters for the night. We’ll leave in the morning.”

I stood immediately and offered a small nod of understanding. Turning toward the door, I quickly slipped through, my eyes stinging with tears as I heard them chuckle at my fast retreat.

Colyn stood outside the door, giving me a dismissive glance as I moved past him.

Thank The Eight he didn’t try to stop me.

I couldn’t handle that, not after what just happened.

My steps were quick as I made my way down to my barracks, the luxury of the living quarters upstairs quickly turning stark and utilitarian.

I felt lucky to find it empty as I went to sit on my bed.

A promotion? This hardly felt like a promotion.

After several long minutes of calming my heartbeat, I slid off my shoes and made my way across the cement floor to the bathroom.

Closing the curtain that served as a door, I slipped off my dress and undergarments before turning on the shower.

The cold water hit my skin, and my eyes closed in relief as I let it wash over me.

The temperature made me shiver, but my skin felt hot from the rush of horrifying emotions, so I accepted it willingly.

When I was done, I wrapped a threadbare towel around me before going to the sink.

My stomach felt unsettled, and when I looked into the mirror, I could see the trepidation in my eyes.

My face was drawn and exhausted, my eyes red with the tears I was trying to hold back, my lips blue from the cold shower.

Drying off my body, I let my eyes wander over the scars that made the left side of my torso look like something out of a horror story.

I ran my fingers over them, disappointed in myself.

I shouldn’t have viewed them that way. If anything, they were a sign of strength.

If I could survive burns that bad and still heal, maybe I could survive what was ahead.

No. I had to survive what was ahead. I hadn’t made it this far for nothing—no matter what tomorrow would bring.